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Situated in the dimly lit alleyway that connects Victoria Street to Left Bank Arcade is the Visa Wellington On a Plate 2015 mural by Ruth Robertson-Taylor and Rachael Gannaway, also known as the Left Bank graffiti wall. Viewers are free to come and go as they please, and take in one of the prime examples of Wellington’s creative culture. The bright block colours of the painting that spans the 15.3 metre long brick wall greatly contrast the dirt caked cement floor and discarded cigarette butts littered down the alley. The pop art style and use of shapely geometric forms is almost absurd in a place that can only be defined as ‘grunge’.

Food is an obvious theme throughout the mural. The Wellington Culinary Events Trust commissioned the artists to create a piece that “represented the strong connection between Wellington and its hospitality community” (Sarah Meikle) for the Wellington On a Plate Festival in 2015. The mural stands as a “lasting reminder of the festival’s influence on the city” (Sarah Meikle). Imagery of chopsticks, wine bottles, and teacups encompass the different cultures and lifestyles of Wellington citizens, those for whom the mural was created. This unification of diversity could only have garnered a positive reaction from the festival-goers, as it tells of the differences we have had to overcome in order to embrace one another’s cultures and live harmoniously. The wall acts as a promotion not only for the 2015 Wellington On a Plate festival, but also for Wellington’s culinary community in general.